Four Hundred Years of Florida Maps
Named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, Florida once included virtually all of what is now the Southeastern United States. As late as the 1790s it still reached west as far as the Mississippi River. Selected from the J. Thomas and Lavinia W. Touchton Collection of Florida Cartography, these maps and charts represent some of the “Florida” map-makers visions that have been created over the past 400 years.
About the Collection
"We began collecting maps of Florida quite by accident during a trip to London in October of 1982. We realized within two years that we had begun to assemble an important collection of Florida maps, charts, prints and views; that was almost 3,000 items ago. Our collecting interest has resulted in our establishing valued personal relationships with other collectors, map dealers and the staffs of museums and libraries throughout the United States and Europe. Importantly, we have had numerous experiences which have enriched our lives and which would not have occurred had we not become map collectors almost 27 years ago. Building our collection has been an immensely rewarding experience, and we hope others will find our maps, charts and other materials as interesting and enjoyable as we have. It pleases us very much to know that our maps will find a good and appropriate home at the Tampa Bay History Center, an institution which we confidently believe will become one of the finest regional history museums in America. We hope this collection will provide the basis for a significant and useful cartographic repository that supports exhibitions, research, education and academic partnerships – especially the partnership which the Tampa Bay History Center enjoys with the University of South Florida. Finally, we hope visitors from the Tampa Bay region, other parts of Florida and faraway places will find in our maps and charts opportunities to learn about Florida's fascinating and surprising historical and cultural heritage.”
– Tom and Lee Touchton, January 2009